I have lived in Colorado for six years now and have never hunted elk. I am considering going next year and since I have also never hunted anything with a blackpowder rifle either I was thinking about purchasing an in-line muzzle-loader and trying to take my first elk. I was hoping some of you more experienced blackpowder elk hunters might want to give me some helpful hints regarding blackpowder rifles, projectile choice, etc. Thanks!

Since you're in CO, the smallest option you have is a 50 cal shooting bore-sized projectiles. Most of the people I know who hunt the Colorado muzzleloader season use powerbelt bullets. If you're looking to get into muzzleloading, Thompson/Center is tough to beat. I've shot a number of their guns, and have had a few, I'm currently using an Omega, and absolutely love it. Also, as far as powder is concerned, look at Hodgdon's Triple 7 in either loose or pelletized form. Should be just the ticket. Good luck

gd

Since you live in Colorado, the state has been nice enough to make some of your choices for you.

.50 cal or larger.
Open sights, no scopes.
No sabots, thus the Powerbelts.

If you shop locally I'm sure they will steer you in the right direction. Along with the Thompson/Center you may want to look at the Knight rifles. Both are good guns. And I would go heavy on the weight of the Powerbelts.

Good luck.
Goose

Just for a variation on the theme, buy a more traditional side-hammer percussion rifle like a Hawken style or similar (from Thompson Center, Lyman, or any of a number of others). Make it a .54 caliber if you want and load it with good old, tried and true, Blackpowder - no imitation - and a lead roundball or conical and have at it. Works just fine.

Brent

Maxi hunters have killed many Elk in my family.

I am an outlyer here, because everyone either shoots Knights or Encores, it seems... But if I were going to purchase an in-line, I would at least look at www.whitemuzzleloading.com and see what Doc has for sale.

I have two .504s from him, and I have shot my own soft cast Maxi-balls out of both of them. With 100 grains volume equivalent of T7, they will hold 3-1/2" at 200 yards. That is scoped, but I suspect the rifles would do 6" at 200 with factory irons, which I understand you have to use in CO.

They really are a FINE MZ. I wish more folks would take a chance with them...

Thanks for all the advice. I guess I have a lot more to consider than I thought.

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buy a more traditional side-hammer percussion rifle like a Hawken style or similar (from Thompson Center, Lyman, or any of a number of others). Make it a .54 caliber if you want and load it with good old, tried and true, Blackpowder - no imitation - and a lead roundball or conical and have at it.

Don't stop there... No reason a large bore flintlock roundball rifle or smoothbore won't kill elk just as dead as they did 300 years ago.

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Don't stop there... No reason a large bore flintlock roundball rifle or smoothbore won't kill elk just as dead as they did 300 years ago.

Well, I can think of one reason - Flinters are a bit more fussy and prone to weather issues requiring constant care and attention when the wet snow clings to everything. That said, my .54 IS a flintlock. Just not what I would recommend for a beginner, unless he is really gung ho for the challenge of learning a few extra tricks.

Brent

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Don't stop there... No reason a large bore flintlock roundball rifle or smoothbore won't kill elk just as dead as they did 300 years ago.

Well, I can think of one reason - Flinters are a bit more fussy and prone to weather issues requiring constant care and attention when the wet snow clings to everything. That said, my .54 IS a flintlock. Just not what I would recommend for a beginner, unless he is really gung ho for the challenge of learning a few extra tricks.

The greater the challenge the greater the reward. My .54 rifle and my .62 smoothbore are both rocklocks. My 209x50 Encore spends most seasons in the safe. But you're right of course, a caplock certainly makes things easier, so long as you don't tip the little round tin over in deep soft snow or the tall grass...

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The greater the challenge the greater the reward.

No argument there.

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a caplock certainly makes things easier, so long as you don't tip the little round tin over in deep soft snow or the tall grass...

This is why everyone needs the most excellent Ted Cash capper From Track of the Wolf

While I like the thought of taking game with something that is nearly identical to what my great, great, great grandfather might have used I embrace technology a little too much. What appeals to me the most about the muzzle loader as an elk rifle is that there is quite a bit more skill involved in the hunt. Not only do you need to get closer to the game but knowing you only have one shot readily available makes it all that more satisfying when you bag an elk.

Ray1970,

I recently acquired a used White muzzleloader for a ridiculously low price compared to its worth to a hunter. Mine is a .451 for deer hunting, but you could find a .504 as a lot of them were made.

Their leading feature is their ability to shoot a slip-fit conical bullet. They have a 20" twist, and the slip-fit bullet loads easily and slugs up on firing.

If you do want to shoot a traditional rifle, Brent has some good recommendations, and I know he hunts elk with his rifles.

Doc White does have some rifles for sale, but the White factory seems not to be serious about selling things. They are at whiterifles.com.

jim

How about you split the difference.
I have a TC renegade that I put a Green Mountain 1-28 twist barrel on it. My barrel is Stainless steel. You can't get stainless any longer but they still have the Blued version.
This is what it looks like.



This set up is accurate to 250 yards. That is the longest range I have sighted it in for.
With the sight that is on it I take a range finder reading and set the sight to the yardage I want to shoot. I shoot a 410 gr 50 cal Hornady Great plains bullet with regular Pyrodex select FF. I get 1" groups EASY with this rifle at 100 yards. The energy I get with this load is more than enough for elk.
It has 2050 FPE at the muzzle and still has 1000 at 250 yards.
This is the buck I got with it this year. Ron

Let me first say that I intend no disrepect to anyone, but this argument about what defines what is or is not a "primative weapon" or ie; a muzzleloader is at best achedemic and at worse pointless. Inline muzzleloader design has been around for more than 300 years. It was only when Tony Knight brought it up to speed and out of obscurity that it became the seccess we all are aware of now.

There is documented fact dating back to the Civil War and even quite a bit father back than that, over 150 years ago of that eras muzzleloaders making confermed kills on both humans as well as game animals using both iron sighting systems as well as scopes to ranges well beyond 250 yards. Even during our war of independance, AKA the Revolutionary war, there were many, many confermed sniper kills at ranges of 300 or more yards, and the muzzleloaders used back then buy our sipers were as about as primative a weapon as oposed to todays MLs as compairing the Kittyhawk flier to an P-51 Mustang. Our revolutionary war snipers were in fact so feared by the British, especially the officers, that there are letters in our national archives of British officers corrisponding back home to their fellow officers stating that if you are going to come to the "collonies" to try to make your mark in the british army, you had better have your afairs in order before you leave England, because these "colonials" as it were not only dont repect the rule of the day of not targeting officers, thay are damn good at hitting what thay aim at, often at distances the British officers once thought of to be out of effective range of rifle fire, and therefore were safe. Much to their surprise thay were wrong.

I have also seen pictures of muzzleloaders used back in the Civil War, as well as by the buffalow hunters that had been extencively modified by their owners to include trigger jobs, the mounting of peep sights and scopes on them that increrased their effective range to yardages that are far even by todays standards, as well as modifications to the nipples to increase the ML resistance to moisture. I applogise to not being able to be more spacific about this information, but I read it never thinking I would have to use it to prove a point.

Todays muzzleloaders be thay either a top quality side hammer or inline if equiped with a high quality iron peep sight would be easly capable of cleanly taking deer sized game out to at least 250 yards. Even if that peep sight were of a design 150 years old, as thay made them that good even back then.

Bottom line at least IMHO, when it comes to muzzleladers, there is not that much difference, if any in the maximum efective ranges of todays as compaired to the ones in use 150 years ago. Because no matter what advances are made it is still, all other factore aside a single shot MUZZLELOADING firearm, and will never begain to approach let alone match the performance of a centerfire rifle. I know there are a few exotic custom MLs out there that advertize Flash Gordan like performance, but thoses cost over $1000 a coppy and in some cases several $1000s of $$$ and few will ever find their way into the hunting woods. I reaload and shoot 100s and 100s of rifle rounds every year, and let me tell you, my Encore has never equaled any of my rifles for CONSISTANT repeat that, CONSISTANT accuracy.

Even the awesome and wonderfull Savage 10ML-II can only shoot what are essentually pistol bullets whose BCs are so poor (in direct compairison with rifle bullets) that shots much beyond 250yrds become quite difficult because you are approaching almost two feet of drop. Yes with todays drop compinsating addjustable scopes you could push the envelope considerably, but these are quite high$$$ optics costing at least double the price of the ML itself. Not many hunters are going to be willing to spend that level of $$$ to scope a C/F rifle, let alone a ML.

I know there are a limited few people out there with a 10ML-II willing to put forth the effort to dramtically increase its effective range, but you are talking about percentiges in the single digits as compaired to the whole in numbers of ML owners. In other words, I can tomarrow walk into any number of gun stores and buy a rifle as well as scope that once combined are capable to hit targets at 1000yrds and beyond, does not meen that I some how will magically will be able to do so. Just because the rifle can hit at long range most certainly does not meen the owner will ever be able to.

What I see as the mane differeances of an inline when compaired to a side hammer design, is far more about conveinence and reliability than anything to do with increasing of maximum efective range. Lets face it, as compaired to a ML of side hammer design, an inline is much, much easior to clean and maintain, and has almost none of the ignition reliability problems long associated with side hammers.

Are inlines a over-all better muzzleloader than a side hammer. Yes thay are. But Even with the level of todays optics, and BP subs that are around 200fps faster than black powder, even with light weight saboted bullets todays ML are not so much better as to be able to say its like compairing a Brown Bess to a M-1 or M-16.

And lastly, if you all have not noticed we are loosing the battle to keep our hunting privaleges as well as preserving the haritage of same. Any in-fighting like this is only suppling aid and comfort to the anti-hunters. Almost ANYTHING that can be and is regaurded as a ethical and humane meens of hunting that gets more hunters spending more days hunting in the woods should be embraced like the savior himself, not debated and nit picked to death as to weather or not its adding 100yrds or less to a firearms effective range should change its clasification. Please a little common sence is in order here I think.

My opinion for what its worth.

If you want to know about bullets,and there different type with a lot of loading info as well go to www.prbullet.com a lot of info. van

If I intended to hunt in Colorado, I would buy a White and have the best conical shooting rifle made. I have one on order now and know several others personally that will attest to the ability to put heavy conicals in close to the same hole all day long with no swab between shots. Perfect elk rifle. I have had to shoot some twice to put them down since I hunt alone and do not want to chase one for the afternoon. I can use sabots in Arizona but am considering switching to conicals once the White is here. The White is made for Colorado!!!

I will also put my money on a White. White is out of the bussness of making new ML's but Doc is selling used ones that he has went thru.

Al